Treatment of mixed anxiety and depressive disorder: results from a observational study of the efficacy and tolerability of agomelatine

Objective: to study the efficacy, safety and tolerability of agomelatine in mixed anxiety and depressive disorder. Patients and methods. Agomelatine was administered to 30 patients diagnosed with mixed anxiety and depressive disorder for 3 months. The patients' condition was assessed using a battery of psychometric methods – the Hamilton Depression Scale, the Hamilton Anxiety Scale, and a short form of the SF-12v2 quality of life questionnaire. Results and discussion. It was shown that agomelatine effectively reduces both symptoms of depression and anxiety, begins to have a therapeutic effect a week after the start of administration, however, the drug shows the best clinical effect when administered for a period of three months or more. The predictors of complete remission on agomelatine therapy in this sample were: the presence of sleep disorders (early and medium, but not late insomnia), a greater severity of somatized anxiety, the presence of complaints of decreased workplace performance and activity. Conclusion. Our study has shown that agomelatine is an effective, safe and well-tolerated drug in the treatment of mixed anxiety and depressive disorder.